Online Gaming and Lotteries Cash Cows for BCLC
Prince George, B.C.- The 2015/16 fiscal year was a very good one for the BC Lottery Corporation and the Province, but the local picture didn’t show much change.
The BCLC had net income of $1.3 billion dollars. That’s the amount the Province will receive from gaming in B.C. The amount is $97.5 million more than had been budgeted, and $59 million more than the previous fiscal year.
The increase can be credited to the growing popularity of eGaming and the huge jackpots that have been seen in some of the lotteries. Every time the jackpots go up, more tickets are sold. Lottery and online gaming generated a net revenue of just over $369 million, an increase of about $65 million from the previous year.
Gaming and casinos generated a net revenue of $944.4 million, down about $6 million from the previous fiscal year.
Locally, the overall revenue generated at the Treasure Cove Casino didn’t change much from the previous year. The Treasure Cove’s 540 slot machines generated $43.3 million, a further $2.4 million came from the gaming tables. That’s a total of $45.7 million, which was $58 thousand shy of the revenue garnered in the previous fiscal year.
The City of Prince George will get a share of the revenue to the tune of $2.598 million dollars, which is a slight decline from the amount delivered to the City in the previous year.
Comments
The Lotto and Casino are just a stupid tax for stupid people.
Gaming is a sort of voluntary tax.. There are no restrictions on the amount of this tax you can pay, it all depends on whether you are hooked on the game or not.
Palopu, that is a great way to look at it!
Please tell us how Gaming is a voluntary tax…That is the funniest thing i’ve ever heard
Well, as my Dad said, Las Vegas wasn’t built by all the people winning money, so when you gamble, you are are very likely going to lose.
And since the government get’s part of the take – I think it’s around 50%, when you gamble, you are very likely going to transfer some of your money to the government coffers.
But unlike involuntary tax where the government reaches in and takes the money out of your pocket, you willingly hand it over – hence, a voluntary tax.
It is voluntary because you don’t have to gamble if you do not want to, don’t play don’t pay, pretty simple.
Whenever I purchase a lottery ticket, I always think of it as the one form of taxation that I pay where I actually stand a chance, albeit a very small chance, of getting some of my money back! ;-)
For most people, Gambling / Gaming is just another form of entertainment.
You pay for this entertainment, just like going to the movies or attending sporting events etc. Do not expect to win, its just a bonus when you do.
That’s right, if you can’t afford to flush the money down the toilet then you can’t afford to gamble.
So true PGLadybug!
A few of my more elderly senior friends, the one’s over 65, refer to the Casino as the Senior Citizens Entertainment Centre and they will often stop by after a hockey game!
PGLadybug states; “For most people, Gambling / Gaming is just another form of entertainment”. True, but for an ever increasing number of people it is not.
“The number of severely-addicted gamblers in British Columbia has more than doubled while the provincial government has taken in billions in gaming revenue, according to a new report from the Provincial Health Officer.” The report, released Wednesday, analyzed data collected between 2002 and 2007. It showed that even though gambling activities have generally declined, the number of people with a severe gambling problem has risen from 13,000 to 31,000.”
.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/problem-gambling-in-b-c-more-than-doubled-in-5-years-1.2101052
Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but reality rears its ugly head on this issue as well, but like our most dangerous place designation, there are certain things we would rather not see or admit to, so let’s pretend these gambling addicts don’t exist.
Comments for this article are closed.